COVID-19 update

As of March 20, all Strathcona County in-person services are closed to the public; however phone and email support continue to be available. View the latest facility openings and closures. Strathcona County has taken measures to support Alberta Health’s priority to limit larger social gatherings in our community. Mental health supports available. For more information, visit strathcona.ca/covid19

It's time to talk

Strathcona County is inviting an open and honest conversation about how to best build a community where every resident has the opportunity to feel supported, safe and connected.

“We know for certain life never unfolds exactly as planned,” says Mayor Roxanne Carr. “This conversation is about how we can work together, through various formal and informal connections, to best support each other through the good and the bad times.”

Beginning October 18, 2016, Strathcona County is leading public engagement to rekindle discussions around the County’s Social Sustainability Framework, adopted in 2007.

Much has changed since 2007, including a 16 percent increase in population, increased diversity, and changing community connections. Residents are also experiencing an Alberta-wide economic downturn, which has increased the need for local social supports.

Community Talk, the title for the renewed social framework, has four defined purposes, including: creating a shared vision of social priorities in Strathcona County, clarifying outcomes and roles, coordinating activities and align policies, and providing overall direction to social planning and decision-making.

During the initial phase of engagement, residents, associations, support agencies, businesses – anyone interested in creating a supported, safe and connected community - are encouraged to take part in building the new social framework via a survey (available online or hard copy) or by hosting their own community conversations. Strathcona County staff will also be inviting feedback at various public events and facilities until the survey closes December 31, 2016.

Phase Two, taking place in January and February, involves Strathcona County reviewing and reporting on the first round of engagement’s themes. Phase Three involves deeper community discussions on the findings to form the basis of the renewed social framework, which leads into Phase Four, where the draft Community Talk framework will be presented to Council by the end of May, 2017.

Community Talk is a joint effort led by eight County departments, the Information and Volunteer Centre, Strathcona County Library and the Heartland Housing Foundation.

Residents are encouraged to add their voice to the discussion via the #SCcommunitytalk hashtag on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Set in the centre of Alberta’s energy and agricultural heartland, Strathcona County is a thriving, successful and vibrant community of almost 96,000 residents. Strathcona County is made up of the urban area of Sherwood Park and a large adjacent rural area of farms, acreages and smaller hamlets. It is home to 75 per cent of refining in Western Canada. With a focus on economic, governance, social, cultural and environmental sustainability, Strathcona County is committed to balancing the unique needs of its diverse community.